The Sword Beneath the Cloak (Odigan work)
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:38 pm
So you may remember some time back we discussed “What do you look for in a Ranger sword?†At the time I’d just finished a re-read of the books, with a mind to trying to picture the material culture going off the tone of the text. Batting that cultural feel around with the practical experience of blades in the wild Greg and others have brought to the forum, this idea came to mind:
Around the same time, I had gotten a hold of a Windlass XIV, and I was in the middle of asking Odigan to work his usual magic to clean it up.
The obvious question came to mind - could he just turn the Windlass sword into that hypothetical design instead?
The master was willing, so -
Goodness this is a fascinating little thing. Even at first glance, you can tell it's meant for the wilds: browned furniture and a darker brown grip promise to just disappear once the blade is scabbarded. The channel through the guard for the blade is filled in, so as not to allow a drop of rain or crud to run down inside the grip:
Taking it in hand however is when things get magic.
Despite being with an ounce of Elenglin, it feels radically different. With this short wide blade, the weight is noticeably closer to the hand, and my first thought on picking it up was how nimble it felt.
Given the XIV blade and the Reeve pommel weren’t contemporary with each other as far as I knew, I was a little concerned they’d not mesh as well together in the hand as they did on the page: I’m happy to say that is absolutely not the case.
Whether dumb luck or Odigan’s special magic (I’m betting the latter. ) - the components mesh perfectly. The pommel is much svelter than I’d expected from pictures. It’s absolutely thin enough that you can get a fencer’s grip on the sword if that’s what you want, but the pommel is wide enough and the handle short enough there’s fantastic support for the hand in a more slashing grip. At least to me, it seems to have a much more secure hold than the Bristol-style grip of Elenglin.
While a buckler fencer like Mr. Roland / Dimicator might miss the wide quilons of the classic XIV, I’m tempted to think a Ranger in the wilds might be actively happier with the narrower Norse-style guard that Odigan created not inviting along every vine and bramble. The composite package just screams “sidearm.â€
In feel, the more time I spend with this sword, the more “stabby†it seems. The edge is there, but you’re certainly aware there’s not as much reach as with a larger arming sword. More, the point just seems thirsty somehow. I won’t go quite so far as to say it seems an overgrown gladius, but to the extent the tool shapes the hand, the blade just seems to want to dance around wards and pierce deep.
This feels like a brawler’s weapon - not something intended for deeds of song on a bright sunlit battle plain, but rather for the chaotic frenzy under dark trees when fell things draw close.
I can totally picture a blade like this under the cloaks of scruffy dangerous men sidling their way to the back corner of the Pony.
Specifications:
Overall length: 32 ¼†(82 cm)
Blade length: 26 ¼†(66.5cm)
Weight: 2 lb 5 oz (1.048 kg)
Point of Balance: 4 3/8“ from guard (11.25cm)
COP-
vibration node: 17.75†from guard (45 cm)
“most authoritative whacky partâ€: 17 ⅜†(44cm)
Around the same time, I had gotten a hold of a Windlass XIV, and I was in the middle of asking Odigan to work his usual magic to clean it up.
The obvious question came to mind - could he just turn the Windlass sword into that hypothetical design instead?
The master was willing, so -
Goodness this is a fascinating little thing. Even at first glance, you can tell it's meant for the wilds: browned furniture and a darker brown grip promise to just disappear once the blade is scabbarded. The channel through the guard for the blade is filled in, so as not to allow a drop of rain or crud to run down inside the grip:
Taking it in hand however is when things get magic.
Despite being with an ounce of Elenglin, it feels radically different. With this short wide blade, the weight is noticeably closer to the hand, and my first thought on picking it up was how nimble it felt.
Given the XIV blade and the Reeve pommel weren’t contemporary with each other as far as I knew, I was a little concerned they’d not mesh as well together in the hand as they did on the page: I’m happy to say that is absolutely not the case.
Whether dumb luck or Odigan’s special magic (I’m betting the latter. ) - the components mesh perfectly. The pommel is much svelter than I’d expected from pictures. It’s absolutely thin enough that you can get a fencer’s grip on the sword if that’s what you want, but the pommel is wide enough and the handle short enough there’s fantastic support for the hand in a more slashing grip. At least to me, it seems to have a much more secure hold than the Bristol-style grip of Elenglin.
While a buckler fencer like Mr. Roland / Dimicator might miss the wide quilons of the classic XIV, I’m tempted to think a Ranger in the wilds might be actively happier with the narrower Norse-style guard that Odigan created not inviting along every vine and bramble. The composite package just screams “sidearm.â€
In feel, the more time I spend with this sword, the more “stabby†it seems. The edge is there, but you’re certainly aware there’s not as much reach as with a larger arming sword. More, the point just seems thirsty somehow. I won’t go quite so far as to say it seems an overgrown gladius, but to the extent the tool shapes the hand, the blade just seems to want to dance around wards and pierce deep.
This feels like a brawler’s weapon - not something intended for deeds of song on a bright sunlit battle plain, but rather for the chaotic frenzy under dark trees when fell things draw close.
I can totally picture a blade like this under the cloaks of scruffy dangerous men sidling their way to the back corner of the Pony.
Specifications:
Overall length: 32 ¼†(82 cm)
Blade length: 26 ¼†(66.5cm)
Weight: 2 lb 5 oz (1.048 kg)
Point of Balance: 4 3/8“ from guard (11.25cm)
COP-
vibration node: 17.75†from guard (45 cm)
“most authoritative whacky partâ€: 17 ⅜†(44cm)